Gooyi Gooyi
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot, Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
23 Reviews for Gooyi Gooyi
Hands down Gooyi Gooyi is my favorite Korea BBQ! Great salad, great meat!
Pork belly.......OH MAN!!!!!
I recently brought a bunch of my church friends there and they ALL loved it! I have been there over 6 or 7 times now and no disappointment at all!!
I don't think this is a place for a big group, but other than that.....Gooyi Gooyi is AWESOME!
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It's places like these that remind me that it would be very very hard to turn vegetarian.
Possibly the best BBQ place on El Camino. It's not all-you-can-eat but it's enough food to go around. We got one of the packages where for $80 it includes a variety of meat, seafood pajan (pancake), and a bottle of either soju or beer as well as the usual offerings of banchan. I didn't think the banchans were anything extraordinary but everything else was delicious.
I really like how homey it is and how great customer service is! The waitresses literally help you cook all the meat and gave us many helpings of the sides and banchan. Even though we weren't Korean, they were still very patient and courteous. I've been to so many bbq buffets that are large-scale and impersonal so it's really nice to come to a smaller place that gives you more attention. Quite the gem.
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I came here twice. Once there were closed. The second time, I came in at 2pm and they said they were closed. I asked them, on the sign it said 2:30pm They said they closed at 2:30...uhhh okay. I guess they were slow and didn't feel like serving anyone.
OMG, I overstuffed myself here today for lunch. I'm about to crawl into bed and KO! Gooyi Gooyi won this fight for sure! 5 stars!
We had the kalbi and spicy ribeye pork. Both were absolutely amazing. Combined with all their banchan, it gave me my k-bbq fix for the next month! Ok maybe not, I mean it can but I heart k-bbq too much. lol.
We also had the short rib soup which was good. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had the right expectation. I thought it was a tofu soup with short ribs but it was still good. My fault for haven't incorrect expectations.
FYI, if you are coming for the rice paper like at Shik Do Rak in Garden Grove, CA...it only comes with dinner menu and the combos/duk bo ssam.
Service was excellent today but I can imagine it would be slow if the place is packed. Sometimes you just have accept this about k-bbq places. They have to prepare and bring out all those banchan and never have enough help.
Will definitely be back....this time for dinner!
***03/28/08***
I've been back a few times and the service has indeed been spotty. I take it with a grain of salt bc these places much like some chinese places, you expect this sort of "service." Oh well, the food is still good and until I find another place that has rice paper, I'll keep it at 4 stars.
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I've been here twice now for dinner and have left both times very happy. Sandwiched between two porn shops, it's a very small restaurant and can get very busy. Parking can be tight--you may end up parking on El Camino or in an adjacent parking lot. I have to give props to the service staff. They are consistently very polite and do their best to attend to every table--and there is a lot going on.
We ordered a meat combo that included thinly sliced beef and thick slabs of pork. These were grilled right in front of us along with mushrooms and onions, and you can eat them with the slightly spicy red sauce and dduk wrappers they provide. We also ordered chicken, squid, and short ribs--all prepared with some sort of sweet, spicy sauce. All this came with salad and many many individual side dishes, like bean sprouts and potato salad. To end it all, we had the seafood pancake, which was not only tasty but fun to eat with a spoon.
An assortment of Korean alcoholic beverages, including a sweet pomegranate wine, can be purchased as well. Best to go with a group (I'd say 6 max) to share the cost. This feast is so worth it.
**Update**
I called and they have a room that seats up to 20. Availability depends on the day.
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My new favorite korean bbq spot. Why?
1. Delicious, thin-sliced kalbi that's tender even when it's cooked all the way through.
2. Excellent service. I didn't have to ask for stuff. They noticed when we needed more pan chan, water, tea, etc.
3. Reasonably priced for korean bbq charcoal grill. About $40 pre tip for two.
4. Usually I don't like the non-marinated bbq, but I didn't even notice the kalbi wasn't marinated..it was THAT yummy. I like how they cut it into bite sizes pieces that are perfect for me.
5. They cook all the meat for you, so I can focus on grubbing down. They are very efficient, so none of the meat gets overcooked or burnt.
Why didn't I give them 5-stars?
1. They wouldn't let me get one order of bulgogi and one order of kalbi. They said I had to order two bulgogis. WTF. That means anytime I eat with just my fiance, I either have to only have bulgogi or not get it at all. That's not fair. I don't understand their reasoning behind this. They made the try the beef brisket instead of letting me order a bulgogi. Good thing the brisket turned out to be pretty good too.
2. I think their meat portions are a tad on the small side.
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Went here with the girl at the end of a drive from LA to SJ which capped off a grueling 2000-mile driving frenzy over 9 days. This is one of the few places with the rice wrappers for the grilled meat as opposed to just lettuce. I don't know many places that have it up here, and I've been craving it ever since shik do rak in Garden Grove.
The place is a bit small, and it's definitely more for the native Koreans. The time we went, they hardly spoke any English, but fortunately I know enough Korean to get by. BTW, love that it's next to an adult store.
Some words of warning. You have two have at least two orders of something grillable. And I think there are some weird combinations of what you can and cannot order. Another word of warning is that there isn't a lot of pre-marinated meat here. There are some for sure, but honestly get the pork belly. The cuts of meat here are thick and like most good Korean places, they will cut and cook it for you.
The banchan (side dishes) aren't spectacular but it's really all about the grilled meat and rice wrapper. The sauces you dip in are more like LA, with the light soy sauce and peppers sauce or the sesame oil and salt one. Simple and clean and in my opinion, more authentic.
What it lacks in ambience it makes up for in service and authenticity. I can see how some people won't like it because it's a little more attuned to the native Korean palette. Nevertheless, I enjoy this place thoroughly.
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good tasty food, and the side dishes are great..
not a lot of parking; the wait staff is nice, but a little slow had to ask for several time before getting tea and refill of water. other wise it's a 5 :)
Word of advice, if you are craving duk bo sam, make sure they have it b4 sitting down. Min and I arrived at a little after 6 tonite and they ran out already. No worries, we are fans of the moo sam as well. I dunno if we eat more of this than the average diner, but we kept having to grab the poor waitress' attn to refill the moo sam dish. They were very pleasant and friendly tho.
The meat was thinly sliced and flavorful. Kim Chi was pretty saucy and salty. But the meat....yum!
we saw other tables getting bokum Bap with their pork at the end of the meal...but since we altered our package to have all bulgogi, we were denied this option...oh well...
After hearing all the hype about dduk bo sam, I finally got the chance to try it out for myself. I ended up getting the $79.99 set with kalbi, cow's tongue, rib eye, spicy tofu soup, egg casserole, seafood pancake, salad, soju and a bunch of other side dishes. This well-fed 3 starving people with lots of leftovers to feed another. All the meats were marvelously delicious. I especially liked the kalbi here because it was nice tender, juicy, & there wasn't as much fat on the meats like many korean places. I love wrapping my food in dduk instead of lettuce. Bring on the dduk!!!!
Now... when will there be a place that serves this in SF???
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If you craving tthok bo sam, this is the closest you'll get to it in the San Jose area. We have been disappointed on many occasions in the quest for tthok bo sam in the Silicon valley, but this place is quite good! Ask for the ggoht sahl (or galbi sahl) cut of beef--the meat is really tender and has a great flavor. The rice wraps are decently thin and the salad that goes with the wrap is a good mixture of lettuce and cabbage. The waitresses are quite friendly, and are constantly coming by to help you make sure you don't burn your meat!
I've never been here, but 5 stars for a restaurant named, "GOOYI GOOYI", next to an ADULT BOOKSTORE. Super Pimp!! I will have to try this place when I'm down there.
stinky tofu
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Oh wow, I ate too much.
I give this place 5 stars for it's service - they stayed open more than an hour later for my party of 5. We had no idea as they were so kind about it and we didn't feel rushed at all.
4 stars because I think the little dishes were only "okay", but the egg one is DELICIOUS. The kim chee was also not the greatest, but we were the very end of the day.
What was quite good is the bul go ki - very thinly sliced. The spicy pork was just okay. The seafood tofu soup was DIVINE. Sooo good. I apparently can't order with a damn and got maybe "real" bi bim bap? I thought it was supposed to come in a sizzling pot...
Anyway, the kind server saw the confused look on my face (5 girls, 4 Asians, no Koreans among us....very rare) and mixed everything up for me AND IT WAS SO GOOD.
For 5 people, we ordered 4 dishes which was more than plentiful. It came out to be around 13 per person?! Cheap cheap!
Btw - if you can't find it, it's right across the street from Korea House & by the Adult DVD and bookstore :)
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I came to Gooyi Gooyi once for dinner. Everyone in the restaurant was Korean (and speaking Korean), and all the signs were in Korean. The waitress even continued trying to speak to me in Korean, despite my English responses. Definitely signs of a good Korean restaurant.
I ordered kalbi tang (a childhood favourite), and it was pretty good, though probably not a good dish to measure Korean restaurants by. It wasn't until I butchered the pronunciation of the dish did the waitress finally realize that I can't speak Korean to save my life. The table next to me ordered a ginormous plate of kalbi to cook at the table. It looked so delicious, I would definitely want to try that next time.
my friends and I went for Gam Ja Tang (thick pork + potato stew)..
it was sooooo bad.. so blaaaaand..
don't event think about trying it.. NO! NO!! I am saying NO again!!!
obviously, why we didn't order the BBQ.. the safest way.. WHY~~~?
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I saw this place today at lunch and felt compelled to try it, but unfortunately it was just 5 minutes before 2:30pm - when they close their lunch service. I walked away to eat at the nearby Don Don place, but it was stuck in my head.
I came back with a friend for supper tonight and am I ever glad that I did.
FOOD: I had the most delicious Yut Soo Bul Go Gi (marinated bbq beef) and there were lots of free delicious side dishes.
SERVICE: The waitress was really kind and cooked the meat for us. She explained some of the history behind the food and the ingredients used. She told me that if I had come in 5 minutes before closing at 2:25 they would have stayed open for me. Nice!
ATMOSPHERE: Great cooking equipment, but it's definitely about the food, and not the chairs/tables. The authentic korean soju advertisements add to the charm.
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MY BRAND SPANK*N NEW FAVORITE KOREAN RESTAURANT IN SANTA CLARA!!!
For a small Korean food restaurant parked next to an adult video store, this place was a surprise hit! The service was amazing and attentive, and refills for pan chan came in fresh dishes.
The galbi was amazing, and they even neatly cut it off the bone for you. For $20 galbi, you get a generous serving and a bowl of seasoned salad to go with it. The soon tofu was also delicious, and they brought us this egg soup too.
Sometimes you go to Korean restuarants, and they treat you under par because you're not Korean. Well, this is definately not the place -- we got A+ service during our entire meal and we will definately come back again! Super clean, very well-prepared meals, and it's their grand opening! I love supporting good Korean eats, especially since the day we found a cockroach at Korea House across the street and now refuse to go there.
And what a cute name, GooYi GooYi!
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Came here about half a dozen times. The meat, banchan, and the dwenjang jjigae is to DIE for. The service is great as well, our waitress ajuma stayed with us the entire meal and cooked the meat for us. Only negative is that they ration out the dduk, and tell you they're running out of it that day if you're eating too much of it (this happened on a few different occasions to us). ITS A DDUK BO SAM PLACE, HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY RUN OUT?
This is the best duk bo sam restaurant in the San Jose area, but lying to patrons, is so not cool. It's like going out to get a hamburger, but they tell you they're out of buns.
It was only recently that I discovered the joys of Korean food, and I wasn't quite sure how much I enjoyed it until I ate at Gooyi Gooyi.
Why *you* should eat here:
The food - Fresh vegetables, delicious soups, and tasty, tasty meats. Haven't tried the desserts yet, but that's on the "to-do during future visits" list. The seasoned salad (served as a side dish) is amazing, and that's coming from someone who generally is neutral about salads.
The service - Beyond the usual "Is everything okay?" queries, the servers here seem to anticipate your needs even before you ask and are efficient *and* speedy. Need your meat cut? [whips out scissors] Want it cooked further? [whisks away]
The china - Okay, so maybe this part only appiles to people who are attracted to shiny, pretty things, but their dishes and cups match and are adorned by little green leaves.
Why you might be put off:
The location - It's almost hidden away in a little strip along El Camino Real and happens to be right next to a pornographic video store. (Personally, I was a little amused by seeing what kind of people were slinking in and out of the place though...)
Other random quibbles - For reasons I have yet to fathom, the mascot on the front door is a cartoon pig chef, which clashes with the refined feel of the rest of the place. Also, the place is not good for large parties, as each table has a stove to cook on and so cannot be moved (although chairs can be brought over, eating space will be limited nonetheless).
Overall:
If you like Korean food, chances are good that you'll like this place.
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What a freakin' joke. This place is not worth the money. $21 for galbi and the appetitizers tasted like they've been marinating for a long time. The kimchi was so sour that a seasoned kimchi eater like me couldn't stomach more than two pieces. I ordered the $15 dollar beef brisket, the lady informed me that I needed to order at least two servings to use the grill, thus my friend agreed to order the same thing. The beef brisket came thinly sliced and unseasoned. If I wanted to eat grilled unseasoned briskets, I could have done it at home for a lot less money. The place is not refined nor especially charming. The seasoned salad was good but nothing I'd get excited about. We walked away feeling ripped off and dissatisfied. Go to Korea House across the street instead.
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i wanted to try this place just because of its name.. i mean come on.. gooyi gooyi!! and we figured if it was that bad we could just walk across the street to korea house. after all, this is santa clara - mecca of all things corean - (yes, corea with a c)
anyhow, you walk in and the dinning area is pretty cramp. everyone in the restaurant was corean except for our table - translates to tasty. we order the combination BBQ special - pork belly and rib eye with kimchee tofu soup - more than enough food for 2.
there were a ton of side dishes, but i usually just stick to kimchee and pickled radishes - maybe even some cucumbers or dried fish. at any rate, you'll get a crap load of side dishes till your table is completely full and you have no where to put your glass of water. just how a corean restaurant experience should be!
the meat is served frozen hard and the server will start to cook the food for you - i felt inadequate when she would grab the tongs from my hands, but hey.. i'm a fattie - cook my food woman! i was a little surprised as the pork belly came out in slabs and she began to cut them on to the grill. i'm used to the thinly sliced version, but this version is still pretty good. the best thing about this place is that they have rice paper wrappers - the only other restaurant i know that does this is blue stone. i prefer the rice paper over lettuce.
4 stars for the nice servers, good BBQ, tons of side dishes and being next to the adult book store.
Great place to eat. My korean friends swear by this place. I love the fact that it's between two adult video/bookstores and a liquor store. That has "class" written all over it. But seriously, what this place lacks in style, it makes up for in taste. Their dduk bo ssam was pretty good. The only complaint I had (jhon k also mentioned this) is that they appeared to me rationing the dduk, so half way through, we were just eating "bo ssam" (i'm not korean, so I have no idea what i'm saying). All in all, the food was good, and the atmposphere was cool. I would definately go there again.
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Overall good Korean bbq with the all important dtuk bo ssam. I wanted to try this place after hearing they had dtuk bo ssam, but I admit while the bbq was decent, I was disappointed that they appeared to be "rationing" their dtuk bo ssam. The dtuk bo sam was made of smaller cuts and not the big squares you'd get in Los Angeles. The beef cuts were good, especially the thick Korean steak. The pork... well... was unfortunately more like thick cuts of bacon... actually the pork was thick bacon strips that were cut up into smaller pieces in front of our eyes at our table. Perhaps it doesn't make a difference. Alas, my search for Korean bbq to match the Korean bbq houses of Los Angeles, continues. I guess I am asking for too much up here in Northern Cal. I would go back. Service was courteous. The bbq came with Korean soy bean stew (daen jang jige) and egg caserole. The meat portions were large and 3 orders of meat were too much for four adults. The ventilation is pretty good so you're less stinky than other Korean bbq places. It's next to the adult book stores, don't walk through the wrong doors.
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